Eye Opening Necessary Read

This was an eye-opening and life-changing read for me. It also was very affirming of my own experiences in Canada as a Black Queer Nonbinary Person.

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Shines a light on Canada’s very own racism

This book was extremely informative. What I appreciated most was that the author always showed great care to place the facts into a broader context, consistently acknowledging and relating to the experiences of indigenous and other racialized people in Canada. It made the book educational on many levels, also including issues faced by different genders, immigrants, and refugees.

It starts with the history of slavery in Canada, which is rarely discussed or even known by Canadians. One of my main takeaways is that the popular Canadian identity as being a multicultural, welcoming society was/is essentially propaganda, with very little truth to it. As Canadians, I think we often try to differentiate ourselves and our national identity from the USA. Our identity of multiculturalism is one way we do that. But this author shines a light on the fact that the current racism and white supremacy in our country does not just come from south of the border and our colonial past. It is also very much home grown since the beginning of Canada.

I feel a need to mention the narrator’s performance, incase it can ever be re-recorded. She put on fake voices when reading quotes, using an almost comical deep voice for men and a sometimes sad, pouty voice for women. I found this really unfortunate. You can tell the narrator cares about what she’s reading, but the voices baffled me. Please don’t let it deter you from listening.

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Great book! It was very detailed and eye opening!

It is a must-read for all Canandians no matter the background. I salute the meticulous research methode that the author Robyn Maynard used to gather the data for this project. I also congratulate the author for her ability to simplify the complex infornation contained within the book!
I strongly recommend this book!

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4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Every Canadian should read this incredibly important book

From slavery to mass incarceration to segregation to the racist harm perpetuated by the child welfare system, to police brutality, to the school to prison pipeline, these are all things that Canadians are regularly told are facets of racism in America, not something we deal with here, since we celebrate our multiculturalism, right? No. All the things I listed above are just *some* of the topics covered in this book, which explicitly looks at all the ways black people and black bodies are policed in Canada.

It’s an important book that dispels a lot of our national myths and sense of superiority over our southern neighbours, as well as dispelling a lot of racist myths that white Canadians like myself absorbed by living in a nation that privileges white lives and white culture over all others. We need to challenge those racial assumptions and unconscious biases we have in order to do the work to dismantle these systems of oppression and support the incredibly brave work being done by BIPOC in Canada to create a more equitable and just society that addresses all the systemic harm done

I can not recommend this book enough.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Eye opening!

Wow! The history and continued racist policies that are ongoing in Canada is incredible and injust. A a white man, I have always looked at Canada as being better than the United States in regards to racism, and had truly closed my eyes and remained happily ignorant to the travesties that were and are happening all around me. This book will play an instrumental part in how I move forward in voting and pushing for changes in policies. I recognize that I have truly been a part of the problem because of my inaction and acceptance of what the government has told me. Hopefully more will read and listen to these powerful words so that they too may have their eyes opened.

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4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Sobering, sad and eye opening

I was a relatively naive (on this topic) 57 year old white Canadian woman who learned a lot about Canada and about “the black’ perspective in Canada. by listening to this book.

I didn’t always agree with the author’s liberal use of the words violent and violence, however, I didn’t let it stop me from listening to the hard stories and hearing and gaining a better “understanding” of the problems faced by black Canadians. This book was recommended by LeadNow for those who want to learn more about being antiracist instead of just striving to be non-racist. Reading or listening to this book is a good place to start.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

a relevant reading to understand systematic racism

A great book to deep dive into the roots of systematic racism and state violence against black people (with some comments on racism against indigenous and non white folks)
the author is aware of the need of an intersectional approach, including elements like gender, disabilities, immigration status, poverty and queernes into the analysis.
A relevant reading to understand better racial dynamics in canada and to challenge our current state.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

A Must Read

You MUST listen to this if you have been through the Canadian public school system. Canadians are taught that we are a cut above the rest when it comes to how we (colonialists) have treated other ethnicities and that we exist in an ethnically egalitarian castle on the hill.

Listen. Learn the truth.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

I don’t have words

I honestly do not have the right words to even try to depict how amazing, raw, straightforwardly-subliminal and NECESSARY this book is. From the research… to the pain that quite literally screams at you from the ink on the paper. This book, (which is actually my textbook for my African-Canadian Studies Class) had me emotionally all over the place, rightfully so. It’s human to feel something like this so deeply, but by the end of the book, I wasn’t angry, sad, confused…. I was/still am motivated and ready to act, to delve into this more. I want to know all, and even if I can’t know all, I want to be actively searching, helping, speaking up even more.

So thank you Robyn!!!! This Book is everything!!!

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The Bigger Picture

There is more to life than meets the eye. We see ourselves with a veneer of goodness. Also, the work of Canadian banks and NGOs is not as good as it seems or as I believed it to be.

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